Hinge for heavy refrigerator doors



Feb. 8, 1955 LJ F. BARRoERo HINGE FOR HEAVY REFRIGERATOR DOORS Filed May 21' 1954 INVENTOR. am H inn-ia #fram/fr.;

Unite States Patent O ICC 2,701,384 HINGE FOR HEAVY REFRIGERATOR DooRs Louis F. Barroero, San Leandro, Calif. Application May 21, 1954, Serial No. 431,467

' 3 Claims. (Cl. 16--128) 'Ihis invention relates to a refrigerator display cabinet, and more particularly to a novel form of door hinge for use therewith.

In refrigerator display cabinets such as the type used in grocery stores of the self service type, it is customary to have a relatively large cabinet with a plurality of glass doors across the front of the cabinet to permit visual inspection of and easy access to the merchandise stored therein. It has formerly been customary to mount these doors on piano-type hinges. A great deal of heat loss is encountered due to the heat transmission through the piano-type hinge which is in contact with the door and cabinet all the way from the top to the bottom.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a novel form of hinge structure wherein the heat loss will be kept to a minimum.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel form of hinge construction wherein the door and cabinet are connected at only two points, thus reducing the heat loss through the hinge to a minimum.

Another object of this invention is to provide a door hinge for use on refrigerator display cabinets, which hinge is economical to manufacture and greatly facilitates the alignment of the door with the door opening of the cabinet.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a door hinge for use with refrigerator display cabinets, wherein the door may be more easily removed than with other types of hinges used heretofore.

One form which the invention may assume is exemplilied in the following description and illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of a refriger ator cabinet embodying the principles of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the hinge structure taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is an exploded View of the hinge structure shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the bracket portion of the hinge.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein similar reference numerals are used to denote the same elements throughout the various views shown, generally designates a refrigerator cabinet having doors 11 and 12. While only two doors are illustrated herein, it will be appreciated that any number of doors may be provided depending on the width of the cabinet.

A Z-shaped structural metal bar 13 extends the full width of the door opening and is attached to the cabinet 10 along the upper edge of said door opening and forms the upper member of the door frame. As best seen in Figs. 2 and 3, an insulating material 14 is interposed between said Z-shaped member 13 and the cabinet 10. The insulating material is extended around the bottom of the flange 15 of the Z-shaped member 13 and up against the front face thereof and insulates between the door 11 or 12 and the Z-shaped member 13, when the door is in closed position. The opposite flange 16 of the Z-shaped member 13 extends upwardly and lies adjacent the front face of the cabinet above the door opening.

The hinge structure comprises a bracket 17, having a hookshaped lip 18 adapted to hook over the top of he ange 16 in the manner shown in Fig. 2, and a laterally extending ange 19 adapted to lie adjacent the lower surface of the horizontal central section of the Z-shaped 2 member 13. A bolt 20 extends through a suitable hol 21 in said flange 19 and a hole 22 in said horizontal section of the Z-shaped member 13 and is held therein by a nut 23.

Bracket 17 has a vertical hole 24 bored therethrough and said hole is countersunk at its lower end as indicated at 25. A bushing 26, having an external flange 27 at its lower end, is mounted in the bore 24 with the flange 27 received in the countersunk portion 25. The upper end of the bushing 26 extends a short distance above the top surface of the bracket 17. The outer surface of thej bushing 26 is knurled'and the bushing is pressed into the bracket 17 and held therein by means of the press t.

A second bushing 28, having an external ange 29 at its upper end and closed at its lower end as indicated at 30, is mounted in a suitable bore 31 provided in the upper surface of the door 11 adjacent the corner thereof. The door is held in position by a hinge pin 32 which extends through the bushings 26 and 28. The upper end of the hinge pin 32 extends above the upper end of the bushing 26 and has formed therein an annular groove 33 to facilitate the removal of the pin. A semispherical cap 34 having a blind bore 35 therein is inserted over and conceals the upper end of the hinge pin 32. The bore 35 in the cap 34 surrounds and is held by frictional engagement with the projecting upper end of the bushing 26.

It will be appreciated that the parts described above are identical with those used at the bottom of the door, it merely being necessary to invert the hinge assembly for use in that location.

The invention is also applicable to cabinets of the type either having louvre-type doors, or to those having a top which pivots upwardly, by mounting the hinge assemblies at the side edges thereof.

In the application of a hinge assembly such as described above, the doors are fitted with bushings 2S. The brackets 17 are then hooked onto the ange 16 and moved laterally until the desired location is reached thus facilitating the aligning of the door. After the door is properly aligned, the hole 22 is bored through the member .13 to register with the hole 21 in the ange 19 of the bracket 17 and the bracket is fastened to the member 13 with the bolt 20 and nut 23. The hinge pin 32 is then dropped through the bushings 26 and 28 and the cap 34 is placed over the upper end of the bushing 26.

If it is desired to remove the door 11 for any reason, such as to replace a broken glass therein, it is merely necessary to pry up the cap 34 and remove the pin 32 by grasping the upper end with a suitable tool engaging the groove 33.

While I have shown and described the preferred form of my invention, it is obvious that various changes may be made in its construction by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a refrigerator display cabinet provided with a door permitting access therein, a door hinge construction comprising a first tubular bushing pressed into a recess provided in the top of the refrigerator door, an external ange having a fiat upper surface formed integral with the upper end of said first bushing, a bracket adapted to be fastened to the upper edge of the door opening, a second bushing mounted in said bracket with its upper end extending slightly above the top of said bracket, the bottom end of said second bushing being flush with the bottom of said bracket, and a hinge pin adapted to extend through both of said bushings.

2. In a refrigerator display cabinet provided with a door permitting access therein, a door hinge construction comprising a first tubular bushing pressed into a recess provided in the top of the refrigerator door, an external flange having a flat upper surface formed integrally with the upper end of said first bushing, a bracket adapted to be fastened to the upper edge of the door opening, a second bushing mounted in said bracket with its upper end extending slightly above the top of said bracket, a

Patented Feb. 8,; 1955V lateral flange on the bottom end of said second bushing, the lower surface ,of said .lateral flange `being flush with the bottom of said bracket and in abutting relation with the flange on said rst bushing, a hinge pin adapted to extend through both of said bushings, said hinge pin extending4 slightly above the upper end of said upper bushing.

3. In a refrigerator display cabinet provided with a door providing access therein, a'door hinge construction comprising a rst tubular bushing pressed into a recess provided in the top of the refrigerator door, an external flange having a flat upper surface formed integrally with the upper end of said rst bushing, a bracket adapted to be fastened to the upper edge of the door opening, a second bushing mounted in said bracket with its upper end extending slightly above the top of said bracket, the bottom end of said second bushing being vush with .the bottom of said bracket, a hinge .pin adapted References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 651,145 Parker June 5, 1900 843,581 Caley Feb. 12, 1907 1,800,311 McKinney Apr. 14, 1931 2,184,259 Seaman Dec. 19, 1939 2,297,023 Phelan Sept. 29, 1942 

